How are people with learning disabilities held back from sex?

My guest in this episode is Claire Bates who runs a network for people with learning disabilities, supporting them in sex and relationships. Through her work with Supported Loving Claire has tracked all the ways that people with disabilities are held back from the sex they want to have — whether it’s discriminatory laws or unhelpful staff in residential care homes.

I learnt a lot from this conversation with Claire, about how the world of free sex would not be reached without including those with disabilities. Claire has specific policies, practices and laws that need to change, and important ways to think about sex for all types of people.

A transcript of this episode is available on freesex.substack.com.

Hosted, produced and edited by Adam Zmith

Music: Translife by Othon

Artwork: photo of Borneo mealworm by @DamasterCarabus / design by Adam Zmith and Rebecka Öberg

Executive Producer: Tash Walker

An Aunt Nell Production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you could have anal sex without the shit?

My guest in this episode is Henry Blest, “the most ambitious bottom in London”. It says that on his LinkedIn profile, honestly! Henry and I talked about the realities of anal sex, from the slipperiness of the term ‘clean’ to ‘taboo tech’, which is technology that faces stigma when trying to solve our problems.

Henry is one half of a duo who have invented a device that means people wanting to have anal sex would not have to douche in order to avoid faecal matter. Along with Anna Vybornova, Henry has co-founded the company Polari Labs; he and Anna are busy attracting investment and getting their device ready for the market in 2025.

A transcript of this episode is available on freesex.substack.com.

Hosted, produced and edited by Adam Zmith

Music: Translife by Othon

Artwork: photo of Borneo mealworm by @DamasterCarabus / design by Adam Zmith and Rebecka Öberg

Executive Producer: Tash Walker

An Aunt Nell Production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do we need social norms around sex?

My guest in this episode is Tina Fetner, a sociologist who has studied peoples’ sex lives in Canada. Tina walked me through her research into the who, why, when and how of sex, including what she’s discovered about masturbation habits, promiscuity and porn. And then we got into a conversation about the social norms of sex, which we all seem to measure ourselves against.

What intrigued me the most about Tina’s ideas was how they encouraged me to think about the basis of the ‘freedom’ in free sex. There are always going to be social norms, including rightly those that help us to take care of each other. So what kinds of social norms about freedom would be necessary for a world of free sex?

A transcript of this episode is available on freesex.substack.com.

Hosted, produced and edited by Adam Zmith

Music: Translife by Othon

Artwork: photo of Borneo mealworm by @DamasterCarabus / design by Adam Zmith and Rebecka Öberg

Executive Producer: Tash Walker

An Aunt Nell Production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.